Don't Read Scripture like the Devil! Read it like Christ!
Source Code and the Mystery of God's Creation
by Wesley Falcao
A few months ago, I was at an internal company presentation, where an experienced automation engineer gave a very thorough and excellent presentation of our company's automation platform. I sat there very impressed at the quality of the presentation in terms of the material presented and also the way it was presented. The man was well prepared, confident and eloquent. And as I thought about this, suddenly a thought came to my mind - "He has never seen the source code of the application!"
For those of you who aren't familiar with computer programming, think of source code as textual instructions provided to a computer by programmers to perform certain tasks. End users (like automation engineers) do not usually see the source code. They work directly at the application level. For e.g. you may be a Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel expert, but you have probably never seen a single line of source code for those applications.
I work on the development of our company's automation platform, so I was quite familiar with the source code, but even I got to learn many things through this presentation. And as I sat there amazed at how this man explained everything so beautifully, I suddenly realized how true this is of how we perceive the world which God has made. The world, which also includes us, is like the end product. We see it, we perceive it, we feel it, and we may even be experts at articulating the various laws that govern our world; but we are all really understanding it at the "application" level. We look at it from the outside, but we have not really seen the "source code"! We do not know how it works on the inside. God knows the "source code" for all that he has made. Only God truly knows how everything works.
I remember Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how" (Mark 4:26-27). We are like that man. We know certain actions will produce a certain result, but don't really know how.
St. Paul said,
"If any one imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know" (1 Cor 8:2).
Often, especially in the spiritual life, there can be a great temptation to think highly of ourselves because we think we know and understand many theological concepts or spiritual truths. But if we do so, Paul reminds us that we really don't know. Only God truly knows. Jesus said, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes" (Matt 11:25). In order to truly know, we have to humble ourselves like a child before God, that he may reveal to us his knowledge. It is only in the beatific vision, when we are fully in communion with God that we shall also fully know, as Paul says, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood" (1 Cor 13:12).
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About the Author
I am a cradle Catholic. From a very early age, the hand of the Lord was upon me and he greatly blessed me. At a very young age, I began to read a children's Bible and read it many times over. Then, in my early teens, I began to be drawn deeper closer to the Lord in a more personal way. I found myself drawn to visit him in an adoration chapel and my prayer life began to grow. I was around 14 at that time. Then I got a copy of the Good News Bible and read that very eagerly. In my late teens I was very actively involved in a Catholic youth prayer group. We had praise and worship, talks. reflections, group discussions, etc. During this time, I grew personally by being mentored through a share group, but most of all because the Lord himself drew me close to him and I would often spend a lot of time before him in prayer. I then "upgraded" to an NRSV Bible and now I use the RSV-CE and have read that and the Catechism as well. I read and reflect upon God's word everyday as he leads me.
To be sure, my life has had its struggles, but since the time I have known the Lord personally (and even before that!), he has led me towards him and I am more and more drawn to him now. The story in my 20s is pretty much along the lines of following the Lord, making mistakes and learning from them, repenting and returning to the Lord, and following him again. The Lord has now brought me to a point where I can truly say I love him and it is my heart's desire to love him more and to draw other people to him.
I don't have any links to promote as such. I am not an active blogger. But a cause that is very close to my heart is Saint Paul's Outreach. Their website is http://www.spoweb.org/
I work as a Software Engineer in downtown Manhattan. I also play chess a lot and I have a National Master Title from the US Chess Federation. But my main interest is still the Lord and I'm willing to go wherever he takes me from here.
